The present invention relates to intake and exhaust valve assemblies, related ignition systems and intake and exhaust manifolds for internal combustion engines.
Internal combustion engines typically employ poppet type valves combined with a distributed runner intake manifold system for air/fuel intake delivery to the combustion chamber(s). Additionally exhaust gases are generally expelled through poppet type valves combined with a collective runner exhaust manifold system for exhaust handling and discharge.
The operating cycle of an internal combustion engine consisting of four phases in the four-stroke model is comprised of an intake phase, compression phase, ignition to achieve an expansion or power phase, and an exhaust phase; this requires one turn of the camshaft(s) and two turns of the crankshaft. Current engine head designs used in automotive and marine applications are generally based upon this common design principle for delivery to the combustion chambers air/fuel for intake, provide combustion chamber shutoff to achieve air/fuel mixture compression, introduce an ignition device for the expansion or power and provide an outlet for exhaust gases. While many variations based upon this common theme do exist the fundamental approach is consistent.
Current engine valve train designs typically contain most or all of the following components: camshaft(s), linear poppet valves, valve springs, valve retainers, rockers, lifters, and pushrods; while the current internal combustion engine has a very reliable valve train design, it does require a considerable amount of energy during operation to overcome the mechanical resistance inherent to its design. Moreover, additional complexities and refinements made to this design increasingly achieve less significant gains due to the aggregate effect of many components nearing their physical design limits.
The HELI-SHAFT intake and exhaust manifold system is designed to improve overall engine performance and reliability offering adaptability to both existing engine designs either as a retrofit or as a complete integrated original equipment manufacturing solution. Central to this design is a less restrictive and more efficient intake and exhaust manifold system. By significantly reducing the energy required to drive the system as compared to conventional valve head assemblies, more usable horsepower is ultimately available for use by the drive train of a vehicle. In addition, by improving the power to weight ratio of the internal combustion engine, broader more flexible design options are available.